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Organized people grate on me -- their punctuality, their preparedness and, most of all, their immaculately clean, barren desks.
Are they just taunting me with the fact that they're so efficient and put-together they can flourish in the workplace with nothing more than a phone, pen holder and stapler, all perfectly lined up on the clean surfaces in front of them? And are they bursting with disdain when they see my desk, laden with coffee-stained papers, packets of mustard, empty coffee cups and water bottles, tangled headphones, stacks of three-year-old magazines and piles of mini-cassette cases?
Organized folks aren't bad people doing villainous things. They're doing the right things, and I want to be like them.
There are people out there who, like me, yearn for organizational greatness -- or even adequacy -- but always seem to fall short. Is there any hope for us?
Luckily, these experts have some words of advice:
Tackle That Pile
"Subdivide papers into 'to dos,' 'to files' and ‘to reads,'" says Sunny Schlenger, author of How to Be Organized in Spite of Yourself. "Focus on the ‘to dos,' because those are things requiring action. That way, even if things have to be put off for a time, at least you know what they are."
While sorting through all the papers, you'll likely find plenty to go in the recycling bin. "Just because someone hands you a report, it doesn't mean you need it," points out Debbie Cook, a professional organizer based in Skiatook, Oklahoma.
But keeping your desk totally clean at all times may not be a possibility. "I think the clear desk is a myth," Schlenger says. "Anybody who's busy, who gets interrupted and who handles more than one job at a time is going to leave stuff out. It's reality. The idea of handling each piece of paper only once is a lovely concept, but how many people can do that?" Somehow, hearing that from a professional organizer is comforting.
Start with Today
"Keep track of the daily activities you have to get done," Cook says. Whether you use a personal digital assistant, a PC application or an old-fashioned personal calendar, you should keep track of all appointments in one place.
The To-Do List
"Have a master list of everything you have to do and add to it as you think of [new things]," advises Schlenger. "Then you can pull off the things that are important to you and you have to get done by a certain deadline. As you get older, your memory goes, and you can't keep track of everything you have to do in your head. This can save you a lot of aggravation." Schlenger says the key to making this successful is writing everything down on your to-do list.
Build in Time
"Never leave when you think you should leave, because chances are you'll be late," says Maria Gracia, founder of Get Organized Now! "Most people underestimate how long it will take to do something or get somewhere. Determine how long it will take you to get somewhere and add 20 minutes. If you brought some reading material along, you can catch up on your reading. The good thing is, in case you hit a bit of unexpected traffic on the way, you'll most likely still make it on time."
Sweet Rewards
"Bribe yourself," suggests Gracia. "Make something you love to do dependent on the completion of today's task. If you promise yourself you will not take your lunch break unless you organize your paper piles for 15 minutes, you're sure to get that small task finished."
If you practice staying organized, there's an instant gratification, Cook explains. "It feels so good you'll keep doing it," she says. "You can't be organized if you don't want to be. But as soon as you are [organized], you'll begin to want to be all the time."
In other words, the same folks who have been whipping me into a frenzied state of frustration, anxiety and inadequacy have been feeling just great about it the whole time.
